The majority of University Boulevard is five-lanes wide, including the center turn lane. Portions through the UAB campus feature a landscaped median.

University Boulevard acts as the border between the Glen Iris and Five Points South neighborhoods from 500 to 700 University Boulevard and again from the bottom of the Interstate 65 north exit ramp to 11th Street South. From the Elton B. Stephens Expressway to 29th Street, University acts as the border between the Southside and Highland Park neighborhoods.

It has the highest traffic count of any downtown street with an average daily count of 25,000 vehicles (between I-65 and the Elton B. Stephens Expressway).